Buffer for high-explosive projectiles.



Patented luly I7, |900.

N. 0 T H S A R. nn. T. 7. nlu .7 5 6 0. N

BUFFER FUR HIGH EXPLOSIVE PROJEBTILES.

(Application iled Feb. 28, 1899.)

(No lodel.)

l f r11 l l f/ l l/////// l/'/ ////////A UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

THOMAS ROBERT RANEY- ASHTON, OF MIDDLE BRIGHTON, VICTORIA.

BUF-FER FOR HIGH-EXPL-OSIVE PROJEGTILES.'

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 654,107, dated July 17, 1900.

Application nea raam 2s, 1399. seria No. 107,169. (ro man' To all whom, it may concern:

.Be it known that I,THOMAs ROBERT RANEY ASHTON, a subject of the Queen of Great Britain, residing at MiddlevBrighton, near Melbourne, Victoria, have invented a certain new and useful Improvement in Buers for High- Explosive PI-ojectiles, of which thefollowing is a full, clear, and exact specification.

In tiring projectiles filled with high explosives from ordinary cannon it is necessary to adopt special precautions to prevent the exbarr of the gun. Otherwise the violent con- 'plossiglu of the projectile before it has left the will explodev the same.

cus on produced by the ignition of the vpropellling charge behind the projectile will produce in the metal molecular vibrations, which any metallic springs or rods arranged so as to conduct molecular vibrations from one end of the buier to the other. Second, it must contain'a large quantity of granular-compressible material, arranged so as to break up or intercept as much as possible the violent molecular Vibrations acting on the inner face of the buffer. Third, it must be light and soft, because the propulsion of a heavy body by the powder charge behind it would absorb `and waste much of the energy of the powder-gases which would otherwise be utilized for the propulsion of the projectile, and the ejection of heavy buiers so as to drop a short distance in frontl of the gun might cause serious injury. Fourth, the entire buffer, including the granular portion, should not only be compressible, but also highly elastic,in order that each particle may contribute to destroy the vibrations and that a portion of the energy of the vpowder-gases expended in compressing the buffer may subsequently be given oi to the projectile and utilized by the expansion of the buffer. For

this reason fibrous materials are not a good substitute for granular elastic material. Fifth, the interstices in the granular portion should not be filled up with liquid or sandy particles, because such filling material would reduce the compressibility', increase the weight, and tend to establish a continuous path for the molecular vibrationsy to travel from one end of the buier to the other. Sixth, the mass of granular material should not be continuous from one end of the buer to the` other, butshould be -intercepted at several points by solid disks or partitions dividing it into several-layers, in order to distribute the pressure of the powder-gases more uniformly on the entire sectional area of the buer to' preserve-its cylindrical shape and. to prevent excessive bulging in the middle of its length. Seventh, the disks separating the layers of granular material should be made of dierent materials for more eiectively intercepting the vibrations, because dierent materials are affected differently by the same kind of vibrations. My experiments have shown that all these conditions may be fulfilled by building up a buer from several layers of granulated cork separated by partitions of solid cork and felt, inclosing the whole in a bag of textile material, and fixing cork disks to the ends of the bag.

- In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a longitudinal section of a buier embodying my invention. Fig. 2 is a transverse section of the same; Fig. 3, a partial section of a gun, showing the buier in' its place between the projectile and the powder charge.

. A represents the propulsive charge, B the buffer, and C the projectile.

The buier is composed of two or more layers a of granulated cork, separated from each other by cork disks b and felt disks'c, situated between the cork disks. inclosed in a bag d, of canvas or othersuitable textile material, and cork disks b are glued or otherwise secured to the ends of the bag. The granulated cork should be compressed either before or after its introduction into the bag. The number of layers of granulated cork and of the intermediate and end The whole is.

IOO

disks employed and the total length of the buffer or cushion may be varied according to the calibre of the gun, the nature and strength of the propelling charge, the construction of the projectile, and the nature of its explosive charge. f

I am aware that wads for small-arms have beenmade of cork disks or of a mixture of granulated cork and linseed-oil, which serves as a binding material, filling up the interstices, and I do not claim such wads or buffers.

What I claim, and Wish to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. A bilder for the purpose described, con` sisting of a flexible case containing a plurality of partitions forming separate compartments and a mass of elastic granular material in each of said compartments.

2. A buer for the purpose described, consisting of a flexible case, containing elastic granular material, and disks at the opposite ends of said case, the said disks being arranged in pairs on opposite sides of the material of said case.

3. A buffer for the purpose described, consisting of a tlexi ble case, disks of yielding ma terial therein dividing said case into a plurality of compartments, and a mass of elastic granular material in each of said compartments.

4. A buffer for the purpose described, consisting of a flexible case, disks of cork, with interposed. disks of felt, dividing said case.

into a plurality of compartments, a mass of compressed granulated cork in each of said compartments, disks of cork with interposed disks of felt at the ends of said case on the inside thereof, and cork disks at the ends of said case on the outside thereof.

In witness whereof I have hereunto set my hand in the presence of two subscribing Witnesses. v

THOMAS ROBERT RANEY ASHTON. 

